She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me
by Risa9559
Summary: Gintoki broke it. Why is that man feigning indifference? It hurts him, hurts him so much. His heart is broken but he did not realise that someone is trying to piece it back together. Give him back to me, give his heart back to me. It is rightfully mine. GinHiji extracts; slight changes made in chp 3.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** Gintama, y u not mine!? *Shakes fist in anger towards the world*

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**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

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**Extract 1**

**What You Broke Was Not A Lighter, It Was My Heart**

_CRACK_

The perm head slowly turned his head, his red eyes widen as he inspected the damage he had done.

The lighter's cap and body had snapped into two and the oil had leaked onto the tatami mat whilst the small gears are splayed lifelessly here and there. The broken pieces are an anomaly to the tidy room although the lighter, when it had seen better days, was previously already an unusual addition to the room.

It was a normal grey metal lighter, a product that you can find in a convenience store anywhere and it had complimented the simple room nicely. However, knowing the owner of the room personally, normal is what others should least expect; the stack of yet-to-be-thrown-away otaku merchandise stuffed in the closet and the mayonnaise-print boxers in the wardrobe certainly screamed abnormality about the owner.

_H-He'll kill me, _Gintoki thought. _He'll definitely run me through with that sword of his for breaking the lighter. C-c-calm down, me… I can get through this._

Abandoning his search for a time machine, he reasoned that he could clean up the crime scene and keep quiet about the murder. Happy with the plan, -just as he was about to pick up the pieces with the intention to dispose of the evidence and act as if nothing had happened-, the paper door had slid open, revealing the person the silver samurai had least wanted to see.

Hurriedly, Gintoki stepped over the mess to block the entrance.

'Ah,… Oogushi-kun! There you are! Um, the Gorilla was calling for you. So, let's go, let's go.' Assertively, Gintoki pushed the uniformed shoulders out. He is obviously trying to get the oblivious man out of the room before the man himself found out of the recent damage Gintoki had done.

'Who's Oogushi-kun? I've just come back from Kondo-san's room. What are you doing idiotic perm-head?' the clearly annoyed officer brushed aside Gintoki's grip, inviting himself into the room to attend his mountain of paperwork.

Several steps to his table, it was then that he saw the pool of sleek oil and scattered pieces of his lighter near the corner of his wooden table; the culprit of the mess sneakily creeping away towards the door.

Before Gintoki could make his get-away, Hijikata had yanked the white kimono backward; the tight grip firmly prevented him from trying to avoid the incoming fury.

The silver perm squeezed his eyes tightly shut, expecting a raging black demon to cleave him into two yet he could only feel the relentless grip to his white kimono tightened with every second.

The moment passed in silence and Gintoki can feel himself still intact.

Curiosity took better hold of him as he peeked with one eye open in search of the raven head's gaze. He was not sure when the hand that gripped the white kimono had left but that same hand had now picked up the pieces carefully, wiping away the oil with tissue on the damp tatami mat.

No anger, no fury, no flying objects nor curses travelled towards him and definitely, no sword can be seen snaking its' way to his throat. Not a word of complain did the raven uttered and it had made Gintoki worried. So worried, that he contemplated on buying Hijikata a mayorin factory although money would certainly be a major setback to his daydream.

'I-i-it was an accident. A-and anyway, y-y-you can just buy a new one, Oogushi-kun… there's no need to act as if that's the only lighter in the world. The convenience store sells a lot of them. It's not like I broke a Ketsuno Ana figurine, right? Because Ketsuno Ana is more important, right? She's more expensive, after all…' Gintoki babbled; his hands flurried in the air as he tried to explain himself.

'Chuck this.'

'Eh?'

The calloused hand gripped Gintoki's wrist to transfer the broken lighter to Gintoki's own hand for disposal.

'Chuck it.' The raven repeated.

Moving away to settle himself, Hijikata lit his cigarette and started the first paper to the already towering mountain of paperwork.

Unsure as to what to do, Gintoki looked back and forth between Hijikata and the little pieces on his hand and with a final shrug, he complied with the Vice-Commander's order.

Gintoki then resettled to his previous spot on the tatami mat, avoiding the new damp patch on the corner and once again re-read his _Jump_. The matter with Hijikata's lighter still worried him though he was thankful that the man was not outraged due to his carelessness.

Even so, Gintoki is torn between his sense of relief and worry as Hijikata continue to feign indifference, making Gintoki unable to concentrate on the new technique Naruto had mastered.

The calm silence was deafening in the ears of the guilty.

'Uh… I have 300 yen.'

'Good for you.'

Hijikata's shrug hinted that he has no interest in a conversation. Methodically, he had move on to the next report with quick efficiency.

'Do you want my _Jump _instead? I've only read it 5 times-…'

'No, keep it.'

The silence relapsed though now it had morphed into a tense silence. The silver samurai had sensed the change in Hijikata's attitude but he could not recognize the feeling driven behind it. No strong comments or exaggerated response had Hijikata uttered, the Vice-commander single-mindedly focusing on his work.

Could it be that he is thinking too much into this? Maybe Hijikata did not like the lighter in the first place and was glad to be rid of it? Or perhaps the lighter was already broken before he completely smashed it into pieces?

He had never seen Hijikata used it though he had seen the mayo lighter in action plenty of times. Where did Hijikata buy it and why? Knowing Toshiro, the man adored the dog-food so much he knew that the Vice-Commander had bought every possible product related with his beloved mayo.

So why is the grey lighter an exception?

'Ah… Um, sorry.'

'For what?'

The rustle of the paper did not pause, accompanied with the scratching noise made by the pencil.

'You know, the lighter.'

'Don't mind it.'

The pregnant pause was once again filled with the scratch of pencil.

'I've already said sorry!'

'Yeah.'

'Stop sulking!' complained the irked silver head.

'I'm not,' was the nonchalant reply.

'You're definitely sulking! If you want a new one, I'll buy you a new one!'

'It's fine.'

'Stop sulking then!'

'I'M NOT, JUST DROP IT!'

His sudden shout startled the silver perm.

The outburst allowed Gintoki to look at the dark face clearly as Hijikata lifted his gaze from the table. He can detect the droplets of blood on Hijikata's lips as he had bit them; a tell-tale sign that he had regretted the tone he had used towards his partner.

'It's fine.' Hijikata mumbled the words as he repeated himself, all the while sucking on his lower lip to prevent the red droplets from staining the paper.

Hijikata is acting strange. Not that the Vice-Commander is not strange normally, but this incident involving the lighter made him act too strange, too out of character from the demonic Vice-Commander that had usually looked for fights with the silver perm. Now needless to say that a one-sided banter with the subdued man and his sudden outburst made the said silver perm unsure as to how to respond.

'Sorry, I've a lot to do. Can you leave for today?' the raven head once again direct his gaze to his report, continuing his work like a machine, drowning himself in it.

With a shrug and a scratch to the back of his head, Gintoki rose from his position and made his way towards the door with heavy steps. As he glanced back before sliding the door closed, he could see the forlorn figure hunched over the wooden table, the hand clenching the pencil continuously move though the shoulders tremble and droplets drip silently onto the wood.

Gintoki left, assuming that those droplets are not of blood.

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**A/N:** Uh... yeah, I'm currently in my dramatic mode so I'm sorry that there's no progress on The Daily Lives of Thorny Boys. Sorry... but I hope you enjoy this and reviews are appreciated :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** Sorachi is married to Gin's tama. I only want to marry Gin-san.

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**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

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**Extract 2**

**Who Knew Buying A Lighter Is So Troublesome**

Gintoki wander the sunny street of Kabuki-cho, the noisy chatter of the crowd fill his ears though he took no notice of it, his mind had already wandered to the tears he saw falling from the Vice-Commander's eyes.

_What should I do? _Gintoki scratched his head, _It was important, wasn't it? Should I buy a new one?_

Gintoki can feel the guilt burdening him with every step; he had made the man others had called the "demonic" Vice-Commander reduced to a pitiful mess. More importantly, he had in truth made the man he called his lover, cried.

This situation really does not sit well with him.

The term _cried,_ in reality, is difficult to be associated with the stoic and cold-hearted Hijikata Toshirou. This can be explained due to several of Gintoki's observations.

Firstly, Hijikata possesses similar qualities to himself, a man who would endure the pain and suffering on his own, relying on no one but self-ability.

In his case, if the raven-head cannot finish the paperwork in time, he will personally go to Kondo-san to apologize for his tardy schedule. If there were mistakes made to the political higher-up, he would quietly listen to the insults thrown at him -though he may break a few pencils in the process-. The most prominent example of all would be that, he was able to leave the woman he loved behind if it would make her happy.

His own happiness, he considered second to hers.

Secondly, the man called Hijikata Toshiro, though expressive in his exaggerated responses, is less expressive in his daily expression and attitudes. Apart from beating Yamazaki, being addicted to dog-food and being a workaholic, Gintoki only sees the mark of annoyance on the furrowed brows every now and again when he visited the barracks.

His bad mood persists and intensifies when work pile up and other than the temporary happiness when he was given his dog-food, Hijikata did not ever smile nor laugh whole-heartedly in front of Gintoki. No strong emotions were portrayed; the man can be described as the owner of poker mask if Gin-san was described as the owner of the dead-fish eyes.

Thus it is out of the question if someone told him that the cold man, Hijikata Toshiro, had broke into tears because of a broken lighter.

It is just not possible.

He would not believe it.

Except this time…

Gintoki had encountered those droplets of sadness without meaning to. Even though his guilty conscience had screeched upon his wrongdoing, others could only see the lax dead-fish eyes on his face; though the sighs seems to have plague him frequently.

Gintoki stopped in front of the Edo-Mart convenience store, entering the shop after a second of hesitation as he plans to reimburse Hijikata on his lighter. After scanning through the isle filled with convenient food and hygiene products, he spotted the lighters to be displayed on the counter; a little lost to the unfamiliar location and procedure to buy the product he had never bought before.

'Uh… hi, how much is it for a lighter?' Gintoki awkwardly shifted, scratching the back of his head upon seeing the rows and rows of lighters they have on display.

'It depends on the lighter. What kind of lighter are you interested in?' the helpful attendant chirpily answered.

'What kind do you have?'

'Well, there's the permanent match, flameless lighter, catalytic lighter and automobile lighter. And then we have-…'

'Wait, just tell me which one is the most useful and convenient.'

'Well, that would probably be the flameless lighter. It's really cool! The flame is invisible to the human eye-…'

'Wait, isn't that dangerous? Just give me a safe lighter that's useful and convenient.' Gintoki once again cut the attendant short.

The attendant shrugged, 'How about just a permanent match then? It's safe, useful and convenient (and normal),' the displeased attendant commented.

'Oh, that sounds good. Give me that.'

'What type would you like? There's the Aluma, Carlton, Colibri Elite, Golden Arrow, Flamidor-…'

'Uh, just give me a simple and cheap one.' The perm head rub his head as he was thrown into further confusion from trying to make choices of something so foreign to him.

'Well, how about Thorens then?'

'Yeah. Ok. That's it. Wrapped please.'

'That will all be 1000 yen.'

The red eyes widen for a moment before plunging his hand into his pocket in the hope that a thief had mistakenly left his dirty money in his pocket, but upon finding the only clinking of 300 yen, the perm head was forced to reconsider.

'Something that's perhaps a little cheaper?' Gintoki sheepishly smiled.

'There's Zeiler. It's only 500 yen.'

A slight pause. Then a slight shake of the silver head.

'Uh, do you have a 300 yen lighter instead?'

'Right. Here's one Zippo lighter for 300 yen. Here's your receipt.' The irked attendant remarked before Gintoki even completely agreed to his purchase; she slammed the cash register closed and wrapped the lighter's box hurriedly to quickly be rid of a pest of a customer.

As Gintoki walked out of the store scratching the back of his head, he could not hear the usual customary _Come again_ of the shop attendant's.

* * *

'Oh, Danna... What are you doing? Skipping work again?' the brown-haired youth greeted Gintoki with one eye open, his eye-mask rests atop of his forehead as Gintoki found him lying down on the bench in front of the convenient store.

'I'm a little hurt Souichirou-kun-...'

'It's Sougo.'

'...for you to think that I would always skip my work when you're the one playing hooky. I was just buying an essential something in the convenient store over there.'

'What "essential something" is that, Danna?' the youth asked with expressionless face though his sense of curiosity was perked.

'It's nothing important, Souichirou-kun.' the silver samurai drawled.

'It's Sougo, Danna, and I think you've just contradicted yourself with that statement.'

'Now, now... it's nothing important to you and anyway, shouldn't your work be more important at the moment?'

'It's ok Danna, I've finished my patrol but I just don't want to go back to the barracks.'

'Eh? Why?'

'That Hijikata-bastard is so gloomy and depressed, it infected the whole barracks. You would think that someone broke his metal lighter or something to make him that sullen.'

'Metal lighter?'

'Oh, right, you weren't there Danna. Hijikata's brother sent that lighter to him as a birthday present before he died. Well, it's not like the bastard ever used it anyway, so it's fine even if it's broken. He won't miss it.' the teen nonchalantly shrugged.

Gintoki screeched inside his mind. _That lighter was super duper important! How could he even replace it with a 300 yen store-bought Zippo!?_

With a guilty glance to the package on his hand, Gintoki hid the wrapped box with quiet subtlety into the inside of his white kimono. He bid Sougo farewell soon after, once again in a state of confusion as to what he should do to make it up to his lover.

He did not hear the mumble of _Good Luck, Danna_ from the sleeping Sadist as he make his way to the Shinsengumi's Headquarters once again.

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**A/N:** Yayyyyyy, I think I know where this is going... or not (?)


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** I would never write something so stupid yet so awesome such as Gintama.

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**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

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**Extract 3**

**A Truth Only Known By A Single Photo **

Gintoki crossed the threshold that many ex-Joui had come to fear, nonchalantly strolling on the wooden hallway of the Shinsengumi barrack to be halted by an officer with a plain, ordinary appearance. His presence is as unnoticeable as Shinpachi's, -a co-worker of Gintoki's- though Shinpachi's glasses at least reaffirm his existence from time to time whilst sadly in his case, anpan could not strongly reaffirm someone's existence.

'Oh, Danna, back from the convenience store?' the officer called out, 'Did you buy this week's JUMP's edition? You know, you should hide it before the Vice-Commander sees it because he's an avid Magazine reader,' whispered Yamazaki secretively towards the end.

Upon realizing as to whom he is speaking with, Yamazaki brazenly added, 'Ah, I suppose Danna would already know that.' The plain man awkwardly smiled as he stiffly scratches the back of his head out of awkward habit.

'Oi Jimmy, what are you implying?-…'

'It's Yama-…'

'…Are you saying I'm somehow related to that walking nicotine-chimney? Are you saying he's my long-lost balding uncle or something? Huhhh!?' Gintoki's face unpleasantly contorted close to Yamazaki's own as he made his last point, backing away soon after as he rubs his silver hair furiously.

'Listen well-…' Gintoki started, only to suddenly stop in his track.

…

'Uh,… Uh, L-l-l listen w-we-well J-Jimmy-kun…'

'It's Yama-…'

'You see… I, I quite like chimney you know. I mean, you can get rich if your house has a chimney. Apparently, some old guy can come in through a chimney and leave you a Rolex watch as a present. And if you give the old man milk and cookies, you might get a hair-growth shampoo that is guaranteed to work too. So, uh… look at Gin-san's perm. I think my hairline is receding, oi. I think I need that hair growth shampoo, oi. My balding uncle and I can definitely share the shampoo,' rambled Gintoki.

The silver samurai was as pale as a ghost as he tried to reform his insult into something nicer –though he in truth had made it much, much worse-. He, in fact, had seen the devilish blue eyes glowing demonically, peeping through a slit of the paper door, and was silently haunted by its quiet presence and its' intense aura to kill.

The usual Hijikata would have yelled and cursed at him for criticising his nicotine addiction or for the false truth on the condition of his head, -or for the fact that he's not anyone's uncle-. But this Hijikata was sulking and is now bubbling with fury, having already crossed the usual line of being pissed at Gintoki and moved on to being livid.

As Gintoki continue to stutter and mumble through his excuses, the paper door shut completely close, the intent to kill from the blue eyes receding into the deeper interior of the room.

All this while, Yamazaki had remained oblivious of the terrifying presence behind him and finding Gintoki's stutter and stumble to be unusual, he instead asked, 'Are you alright, Danna?'

Gintoki sighed in relief and replied, 'Yeah… yeah, I'm fine.'

'Are you sure? It seems like you've just seen a ghost, Danna…'

'No Jimmy-kun. What I've seen is definitely more terrifying than a ghost,' whispered Gintoki, afraid that the Vice-Commander will hear him once again.

'Eh? What was it?' The officer had long given up in trying to correct his name and instead turned his head from side-to-side and back-to-front, searching with anticipation on the curious sight Gintoki had seen.

'It's alright Jimmy-kun. You've just used up all of your luck in missing that terrifying sight so you should be thankful. On the other hand, I think I might've used up all of my life's luck today,' sighed Gintoki.

'Don't be like that, Danna. I'm sure your luck will turn around soon. Talking about luck, the one that I really feel sorry for currently is the Vice-Commander. I heard his precious lighter given by Mitsuba-dono for his birthday was broken. The poor guy…' Yamazaki shook his head solemnly.

Gintoki sweat-dropped. 'Ah… Jimmy-kun, I thought the lighter was from his dead brother?'

'Eh? It was? I thought it was from Mitsuba-dono. I mean, when I saw the package several years ago, I think it was written in her handwriting.'

'Package? She didn't give it to him herself?'

'Hahaha… don't be silly Danna. She lived in the countryside, hours away from here,' chuckled Yamazaki lightly. 'Also, her health was poor so she couldn't possibly travel to such a polluted city like Kabuki-cho.'

The chuckle ceased as the expression turned serious. 'Well, you know how it all came together in the end anyway, Danna. …We tried our best.'

As the topic turned solemn, Yamazaki excused himself with the reason that he had to run an errand for Hijikata's cigarette supply. Gintoki grunted in acknowledgement and continue to take the few steps that will lead him into the inside of the demon's lair, carrying an even heavier heart.

* * *

'I thought I told you to leave me alone,' the raven coolly remarked, his head did not turn to check the figure entering into his den.

'I did. ...Didn't I?' the perm head shrugged.

'I'm sure I said not to bother me **today**. So why did you come back in 2 hours? Does it not cross you that a day consists of 24 hours?'

'Toushi, it doesn't suit you…' Gintoki's tone dropped lower. His retort sounds closer to a warning.

'What is?' came the once again cool reply.

'Sarcasm and indifference don't suit you. If you're angry with me, then be angry. What good would it do you to pent up all your anger inside? Just be angry at me and get it all over and done with!'

Gintoki became exasperated with how Hijikata had treated him for the past hours. Though he understood that it all started with his carelessness, it was accidental and although the broken lighter was important, there is nothing he could do about it unless he really did find a time machine.

'You don't understand…' the raven head whispered, his hand had abandoned the rhythmic movement of writing. His back is still turned away from the silver man standing close to the door but from the sound of his trembling voice, Gintoki knew that he has no intention to come face to face with him.

'You don't understand…' Hijikata whispered once again.

With an exasperated sigh and a furious rub of his silver hair, Gintoki impatiently asked, 'What don't I understand?'

'Just leave me alone.' The Vice-Commander suddenly requested.

'Huh!?' This took Gintoki aback though he did not budge from his spot.

'Leave!'

'No!'

'Fine.'

Just as sudden as his request to leave, Hijikata made his way to the door, pushing Gintoki aside to leave him all alone in his room. The arm he had momentarily caught to demand a clearer explanation from was easily brushed aside, the paper door loudly closed with his brisk exit.

Gintoki run his hand through the sea of silver hair as he sighs, making his way to the now empty spot on the paperwork-filled table. With another sigh, he rests his own cheek on the cold wood, fiddling the half-finished paperwork with a look of utter dismay and loss on his face.

The red eyes closed for a full minute accompanied by a deep sigh before it reopened again to refocus on a bound brown book slightly jutting out on the bottom of the book case. Gintoki had never noticed it before; one ordinary book out of many in the room that his lover is always continuously filling with papers, books and other reading materials. There is nothing special about this book and the slight difference in its' positioning was the only thing that took the perm's interest.

Gintoki opened the first page to the old, browning book, and noticed that it is without a title though faded silver streaks can be seen on the cover. The yellowing paper of the first page open with a greeting on weather, adhering to the usual format of a letter, and the content seems to be of well-wishes on the special occasion that was Hijikata's birthday.

As the perm head was about to turn to another page, the approaching footsteps he had not notice before had slid open the paper door abruptly, and the raven, upon finding his lover to be snooping around on his stuff, snatched the book and kicked him out; the door was slid shut in Gintoki's face.

With his usual dead-fish eyes that masks his disappointment, Gintoki headed home, his right hand hidden in the white of his kimono, grasping a sliver of photo that he found amongst the pages of the bound brown book.

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**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews everyone. They really motivated me XD

Well, I think I can proudly proclaim that I know where I'm going! Yay! It's a cause to celebrate everyone! So give me a celebration review this time… haha, I'm so funny… not. :P

**Slight changes to the last half of the chapter so the story can flow nicely :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** The Gorilla (Sorachi) gave birth to another gorilla (Kondo). So are you a mother Gorilla, Gorilla?

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**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

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**Extract 4**

**When In Doubt, Trudge Ahead**

'Gin-san, if you have nothing to do, at least help me fold your laundry,' whine a certain plain and round black-rimmed glasses.

'Yeah... yeah.'

'Don't just say "yeah, yeah" and continue reading your JUMP! Seriously Gin-san, you can help out with the housework for a little bit.'

Gintoki ignored the plea. The silver samurai continue to flick the page of his favourite manga, sprawled on the hard cushion of the Yorozuya couch.

The glasses sigh in defeat as he continues to fold the laundry. He soon acknowledged that asking for help from his employer on the matter of housework is truly a hopeless case.

'Gin-san, just because Kagura and I won't be here for a month, doesn't mean you can laze around all day. I expect you to at least get two job requests in the time we're away. Are you listening, Gin-san?

'Yes, yes. Just enjoy your orange-picking in Planet Oweenji. I can take care of myself without you kids.' His hand had wandered to casually pick his nose.

The glasses frown in disbelief; another one of his sigh expresses the hopelessness that he feels for having such an uninspiring role model.

'Well, Kagura will be staying in my house to help us pack up. So I hope you're not lonely by yourself tonight, Gin-san.'

'As if I would miss having brats in my house. They've been calling me a lolicon because of you guys, you know. A lolicon!' the samurai cry as he put the JUMP aside, making his way towards the fridge for a carton of strawberry milk.

'I'm worried about leaving you on your own. Are you sure you can take care of yourself?'

After taking a big gulp of the sweet milk accompanied by a big exhale of breath, Gintoki wiped the pink-stained lips with the sleeve of his white kimono.

'Why are you doubting me? I'll be just fine. You kids go have fun so I can have an adult-version of fun too while you're away,' the perm head smirked.

The glasses stowed the laundry away into the wardrobe, his work for the day ended with a final slide of the closet's paper door.

'Take care then Gin-san, I'll be off.'

'Yeah, yeah. Have a safe trip.'

As Shinpachi left to make his way home, Gintoki pulled out a sliver of photo from his sleeve.

The photo seems to have been kept nicely inside the pages of the book though the browning corner tells him of the accumulating age the photo has gained.

In the foreground, stood a man, two women and a boy; the traditional Japanese wooden house of the Hijikata family can be seen in the background.

Gintoki assumes the boy to be around twelve; the familiar piercing blue eyes and the shoulder-length hue of black hair can only be the smaller version of his lover. The man standing behind him possesses quite a few similarities in appearance though his hair was cut short and has been organised into a topknot, which the samurai population have adhered to according to custom.

The perm head noticed a peculiarity about him; his eyes are closed and a thin line of scar can be seen from the edge of his eyebrow to the corner of the eyelid.

He recalled a story of Hijikata's brother on the fact that he was blind, and the woman standing closely next to the blind man, he perceives to be Hijikata's sister-in-law.

After accounting the identity of three of the four people in the photo, the silver samurai finds it hard to perceive the identity of the last woman.

On the back of the photo, scrawled in neat script writing were the names: Hijikata Tamegoro, Hijikata Minami, Hijikata Toushirou, Himura Yuzuki.

_Himura Yuzuki? Who is she?_

The woman in her older teenage years smiles solemnly and the greenish blue eyes of her discerning gaze greet Gintoki with an ephemeral sadness.

_A relative? Cousin maybe?_ Gintoki frowned.

The name did not ring a bell in his mind. Her existence, Gintoki realized, Hijikata had never mentioned even once since the start of their relationship.

A call disturbed his thought and he reluctantly left his couch, reaching to his desk to pick up the persistent call.

'Yes… Yorozuya here…' the samurai drawled.

'…'

The silent answer from the other end of the line is deafening and is slightly maddening for the silver perm.

'Oi, what are you doing prank calling people at night, Tou-shi-rou-kun?' lilt Gintoki. The line was quickly cut, confirming his guess that it was Hijikata who had called him.

He did not know what his lover had wanted of him but guessing from the effort that he had taken to call him, Gintoki guessed that it was either his attempt to apologize or his attempt to break up with him.

A recent fact Gintoki had discovered a month into their relationship was that the Vice-Commander is very quick to cut ties with him -to his intense dislike-.

The relationship they had created is feeble, built upon Gintoki's unrequited love and his partner's acknowledgement of mutual convenience on the subject of sexual gratification.

Taking advantage of each other -be it monopolizing the body of your loved one or to satisfy your own sexual gratification- the silver perm found that the agreement have worked out well for the both of them.

It would be a lie of course if he said that he did not want more from Hijikata, but he himself has never been in a binding relationship and he personally does not wish to confine his lover into a restraining relationship either.

Even so, Gintoki found that it is very easy for Hijikata to utter the words 'let's break up' whenever they cannot jump over a hurdle in their relationship. It may be feeble, founded upon selfish desires of the two, but Gintoki treasure the connection more than Hijikata would ever realize; the words that the raven had easily uttered, is a heavy stone lodged in his throat whenever he tried to utter the same words.

Another call broke him out of his thoughtful muse. This time, he was ready, having a full insight that he would call again.

'Yorozuya here…'

'…'

'Who's the girl?'

'What girl?' a deep voice answered back.

'Himura ...Yakuza, was it?' the lazy voice replied.

The silver samurai can hear the phone dropped to the desk, the noise of paper ruffling and shuffling on the background indicates that he is looking for the photo in the perm's hand.

'Give it back you asshole.' The Vice-Commander once again picked up his phone.

'Give what back, Oogushi-kun? And what way of talking to your other half is that, Oogushi-kun?'

'Don't play dumb with me, you bastard. You took the photo didn't you? Return it.'

'Only if you tell me who Himura-san is.'

'…'

Silence.

'My sister.' A slight pause, '…Happy? Now give it back.'

The soft whisper and the pause have obviously told the silver perm that that was a lie.

Hijikata was not one to lie; he expresses his like and dislike quite clearly and in times when a lie is required, he can evade the question quite easily. Gintoki realized that Hijikata knew of his persistent nature; he will not be satisfied until he has his answer and thus he had pushed his lover into forming a lie.

It makes him feel guilty of course but most importantly, it makes him angry that there is an existence important enough for the raven to lie to him.

'So why are you calling, Oogushi-kun?' the perm-head evaded the demand to return the photo, ignoring the discomfort of his own jealous feelings.

'I'll be away from tomorrow afternoon for two weeks, accompanying Kondo-san to see the higher-ups. You better return the photo to me before I leave.'

'Yeah, yeah. Is that it?'

'Yeah, what else is there?'

'So you're speaking to me now after the whole lighter ordeal?'

'…it's not like I was sulking or anything,' he shrugged, '…it's broken, so there's nothing you can do about it.'

Gintoki furiously rub his head. Now he understood why Hijikata had asked him to leave him for 24 hours. _Time is the best medicine to heal the wounds indeed, _the silver-head thought.

'You had better return that photo tomorrow. You hear me, stupid perm?' he said curtly.

'Yeah… yeah,' concluded Gintoki as he heard the abrupt click on the other end that signals the end to the conversation.

* * *

That night was to be like any other night yet Gintoki was drawn deeply in his dream into a nostalgic scene.

It was warm, was kind, was scented-filled with flowers and yellowing tall grass, meadow as wide as the sky and people ankle-deep in mud tending to the rice-fields.

Familiar yet foreign terrains, the countryside similar to the one he grew up in with Shoyo-sensei in his lonely childhood days.

He can feel the nostalgic breeze that have countless times tickled his sleeping face during Sensei's lesson, of the cherry blossoms tangled in his soft silver hair and of the kind, rough hand that would tousle his perm with protective gentleness.

He noticed though of the difference between this dream and his childhood memory, for firstly, he is not who he is in the dream. Ebony shoulder-length hair, lean body build and delicate-looking long fingers that definitely contrasted with his childhood self. Through the eyes of the boy, he observes his surrounding; the small body walking calmly through the yellowing wide meadow.

The rows of houses between the rice paddies are frequent, the population in Gintoki's childhood countryside pale in comparison. People pass him by though some regarded him with disdainful look. Through no will of his own, he walked through the winding terrain, at last arriving at the Hijikata family house.

Avoiding the main house and instead entering the smaller side house through the back door, he called out, 'I'm back,' and a slightly older woman appeared, dressed in light brown yukata, her hair tied into a simple bun. 'Welcome back,' she smiled, and another echo of 'Welcome back' accompanied the first, the voice belongs to the husky voice of a man.

'Wash your hands and dinner will be ready soon.' She ushered him in. 'Tamegoro-san, come down and eat with us,' she called to the back of the house.

The boy complied and after washing his hands, he set the bowls and chopsticks on the table, organizing it into a perfect symmetry.

'Whoa, it smells good, Minami-san. As always, your cooking is the best.' Exclaimed a man in his early twenty, his topknot emphasising his societal status as a samurai. 'Oh, Toushirou, back from the fields? Did you see anything interesting?'

The three began to eat after they utter _Itadakimasu_, the boyish Hijikata mentioned how the cicadas have started singing upon the meadow, and how the sky have quickly darken with a beautiful orange tinge, signalling the year's summer's end.

They chatter over dinner, and as the three quickly finished, Minami asked the boy to run an errand in which the boy complied.

Putting on his wooden sandals, he slid open the front door, making his way to the back of the main house to replenish the depleting stock of firewood.

The sky had darkened and the crows are calling home in the last orange glow of sunset. He opened the door to the storage shed; the uninviting darkness of the shed had made him regretted the fact that he did not take a lantern with him before he went.

He reached out his hands, relying on his senses to grab several firewood, aiming to quickly make his way out of there. He grabbed a piece, two pieces, three pieces and the next piece he took feels soft, smooth; a texture similar to a flesh.

The boy-Hijikata frowned in the darkness; his mind was completely enveloped inside the suffocating darkness before he himself feels the violent impact to the back of his head.

* * *

Gintoki woke up with a start; touching the back of his head with a swift urgency. His head throbbed but he does not find the red stickiness that would indicate blood.

The chirping outside his veranda signals the arrival of dawn but he could care less on the fact that he had woken up early in the morning for the first time in his life; the mind of the silver perm had wandered, thinking, _Was that only a dream?_

* * *

**A/N:** Leaving you guys in suspense, aren't I nice? Haha… Btw, the names are written Japanese-style. So it's last name first then the first name next.

Itadakimasu= a phrase like "thank you for the food".

This is a bit of a long update; the aim is to indulge you guys but sorry for those who don't like a long read haha…


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** Shut your mouth and observe, the gorilla will impart to you words of wisdom called Gintama from his butt.

* * *

**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

* * *

**Extract 5**

**Don't Question The Answer Even When You Know That It Is Not Really The Answer**

'Where is it?'

'Here,' he shrugged. The paper-thin photograph is handed to the callous hand of the police officer.

'I'll put you in a cell next time you steal my things.'

'Yes, yes…' the silver perm rubbed his head.

It has been two days since they last meet face-to-face and Gintoki finds it slightly awkward facing his lover now; pondering what they have always talked about after their bout of fighting.

Finding the conversation lacking and unable to find an interesting topic of conversation to tease Hijikata about, his thought was interrupted by the Vice-Commander's announcement.

'I'll be gone for 2 weeks,' the raven fidgeted.

'Yeah, you said that yesterday.'

'…'

Hijikata shifts his weight slightly, obviously uncomfortable.

'So you'll be visiting your Sister?' Gintoki emphasised on the word "Sister", noticing the flinch in the blazing blue eyes.

'No. I'm just going away with Kondo-san to Kyoto on a Shinsengumi business.'

'What for?'

'Don't know. We were called by the higher-ups. Probably about last week's bust on the Nezumi government official.'

'Ah… the bust on the minister who was the mastermind behind the _Scarlet Match_?'

'Yeah. We had a hundred casualties from that case. They must've want the details.'

The Scarlet Match case was the nickname given by the Shinsengumi force, the name very well suited in encompassing the incident that had cost them around 100 innocent and not-so-innocent lives in an arson.

It was two months ago that a little girl started selling a match in the cold winter street of Edo. Like any other Edo winter, the night in the street was cold and unforgiving but the girl was told to sell all of the matches before she could come home.

The unbearable cold forced the girl to open a matchbox; hoping for a little bit of warmth from a matchstick only to find that the flame can show the holder of the match an intriguing vision.

The little girl was killed when the Joui patriots heard of the supernatural power the match possesses. They snatched the matches, hoping that they would gain an advantage in revolutionizing the country with the aid of the supernatural matches.

Unbeknownst to the leader-less Joui faction, the matches only gave a vision of desire. What they had hoped was to be shown a vision of the future, but the vision of sexy women, of money, of luxuries and riches that can be bought were the only things the Jouis saw from the scarlet flame.

The useless discovery of the Joui faction became the source of an advantageous manipulation for a corrupt government official like Nezumi.

As the two are in a beneficial association, Nezumi decided to bargain the matches for several cargo of weapons. He advertised the matches as the flame that could grant wishes and auction them for a very high price. Men bid higher and higher for it; some bidders even eliminated their competitors through "freak accidents" so that they would have a higher chance to obtain it.

The Vice-Commander, reliable as always, sourced back the death from the accidents to Nezumi and conducted the usual raid in the warehouse owned by Nezumi, whereupon fake matches have been mass-produced and is stored there.

Upon resistance from rebels and corrupt government officials alike, the warehouse burned, the flame spreading like wildfire to other residential houses.

On that night, Edo blazed with the colour of scarlet desire.

Gintoki folded his arms, the hands hidden within the sleeves of his kimono. 'I want azuki manjuu.'

'Huh?'

'I want azuki manjuu for souvenir,' he repeated. The dead-fish eyes shone slightly on the prospect of sweets.

'…Diabetes freak,'

'Mayonnaise freak,'

'Stupid perm head,'

'Walking cancer stick,'

'Bald MADA-…' before Hijikata could finish his insult; he was interrupted by the whiny voice of Yamazaki.

'Vice-Commander! The Commander said that he's leaving in 10 minutes and that you should get ready soon.'

'Tch. Oi Yamazaki, who said you could interrupt my conversation, huh? Do you want another beating?'

'Ah…, I'm sorry Danna, I didn't see you from around the corner.' Yamazaki bowed awkwardly.

'It's fine Jimmy-kun. Oogushi-kun over here is just making a big deal out of it. Maybe he's an S?'

'Who are you saying is a Sadist!? I don't enjoy beating Yamazaki, you know! And stop with the Oogushi-kun!'

'Ah, so you admit you're M?'

'I didn't say-…'

'Hijikata-san, don't you have to get ready, rotten Vice-Commander?' the brown haired teen appeared from around the corner, hands in his pocket and bubble gum popping from his mouth.

'Who's a rotten Vice-Commander!? Tch, the real Sadist is here. I'm going.'

Hijikata made his way through the wooden corridor of the Shinsengumi barrack and as he was about to disappear from sight upon a winding corner, a voice carried to where he stood.

'Have a safe trip azuki manjuu-san!'

'Who the hell is "azuki manjuu-san"!' Hijikata grumbled, but he did not look back.

* * *

He opened his eyes slowly, the throbbing to the back of his head had made his vision swim, his sight blurring in and out of focus to an image of a girl arming herself with a firewood. He would have liked to cradle his head for a moment longer but he deems it to be dangerous to let down his guard in the presence of an attacker even if she is only a girl.

The one thing that his sister-in-law had taught him as she raised him was to never underestimate a woman in a desperate situation.

Slowly, he backed away to where he knew the door was; only to find his mean of escape closed and locked. He assumes the ageing corner of the wooden door sunk into the muddy soil on the ground, the door immovable with the pushing of a child.

With careful approach, the boy-Hijikata warily asked, 'Who are you? And what are you doing here? You know this part of the land still belongs to the Hijikata family, right?'

The girl who seems to be around eighteen, in her crane-patterned blue yukata, trembles with fear as he addressed her. Upon a closer look, the boy noticed the shine of her expensive kimono, the stylish make-up and hairdo worn by rich noble girls, the smooth dainty hands of her fingers that have never worked.

Once again, he tried to push for an answer, 'Are you lost?'

The long plaited black hair swish from side-to-side in denial.

'Are you hiding from someone?'

The dark orange hues of her eyes flinched in fear though soon it was accompanied by a hesitant nod.

'I'm Hijikata Toushirou.' He offered his right hand to her. 'It's written with the characters soil and person for Hijikata and fourteen and son for Toushirou.'

'Himura… Himura Yuzuki,' she hesitantly took the hand, avoiding his gaze by focusing her own towards the ground; the firewood in her hand abandoned.

'Himura-san, huh? Does that mean Scarlet Village?' she nods. 'And how do you write Yuzuki?'

'It's with the character evening and moon,' she whispered.

'It suits you well,' he remarked. He dusted himself as he stood straight up, 'Alright then, let's go.'

She abruptly retracted her hand from his grip.

'I can't. I'm not going anywhere.'

'Are you going to stay here all night? Winter is coming and it'll be very cold. And what are you going to do about your meals?' he took the hand gently, 'Come.'

She resisted and once again retracted her hand from his grip.

'But where are you going to? You'll give me away to them, won't you?'

'To whom? I don't know the people who are chasing you and I assure you that my brother and his wife will welcome you like they did with me.' A fleeting sadness momentarily clouded his blue eyes and disappeared as soon as it had appeared.

'Come.' He repeated as he offered his hand.

The girl called Himura Yuzuki slowly took the hand and followed the boy, surrendering herself into the dwelling of the Hijikata house.

* * *

The phone rings with stubborn obstinacy, waking the silver perm from his short afternoon nap. It surprised Gintoki that the ringing of the phone, the hard Yorozuya couch and the JUMP lying on his face is reality whilst his meeting with the girl called Himura Yuzuki is only a dream.

Even though Gintoki is aware of that fact, in answering the annoying phone call and talking with the over-enthusiastic brats over the phone feels unreal to him; the sensation of warm, smooth fingers of her dainty hand still lingers in his own callous one.

* * *

**A/N:** Azuki Manjuu… is there even such thing? I don't know. But I'd like one :D

This is just so bad… I'm procrastinating again! T_T Goodbye sleep… Goodbye assignments...


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** She burned the tamagoyaki again. She smiled. She growled. She cried, 'Kill the gorilla for giving me such sucky cooking skills!'

* * *

**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

* * *

**Extract 6**

**Don't Let Go Of Her Hands For It May Be The Last Time**

_The man is bleeding heavily._

_The kimono and formal haori that he wore is soaked in red, the callous hand clutching the wounded stomach is weakening with every second. _

_The man is dying. But his strong will firmly grasp at life, stubbornly refusing to part with his desire to live on or at the very least the chance to impart his last words unto his only daughter._

'_Come…' he mouthed and the girl in the blue yukata moved closer._

_As she kneeled down next to him, he removed his hand from his wound, searching in his pocket for the crumpled paper. He gave it to her as he whispered, '…protect it…' his trembling hand is staining the yellow paper red._

_The girl nodded._

_Satisfied with her answer, he closed his eyes and became still as he breathed his last._

_The girl clutched the paper to her heart, and smiled._

* * *

The phone call woke Gintoki from his strange encounter with a girl in his dream. He noticed that the mystical experience that had come to him had all started with the discovery of Hijikata's photograph.

He could not decipher the meaning behind the realistic dreams; be it a premonition or a foreshadow of something evil that is about to come.

But Gintoki being Gintoki, he ignored troublesome thoughts and as long as the dreams do not disturb his daily lifestyle, he will continue to enjoy the free night show that the dreams showed him.

'…Gin-san… Gin-san, are you listening?' the voice on the other line whined in a familiar manner.

'Hmm?'

'I said, take care and be careful. Because you're home alone after all. I don't think I can call you after this Gin-san, the boarder security is very strict. So keep safe and get some work while we're gone.'

'Gyaaa gya, gyaaa gya. You're so noisy Shinpachi. What are you, my mother-in-law? I'll be fine by myself you worrywart. Just go and pick the best oranges for me.'

Gintoki can hear the crowded and busy background. A chirpy voice suddenly cut through the conversation. 'Even if you're starving and dying, don't touch my sukonbu supply -aru! If you do, I'll pull out all of your perms -aru.'

'Kagura-chan!? What a mean thing to say! And even though he is an unreliable good-for-nothing, have faith that he wouldn't steal your sukonbu, Kagura-chan!' the glasses cried.

'You two just want to mock me, don't you? You're not worried about me at all, are you? Stop calling me for each little details. Money to pay for the phone bill don't grow on trees like oranges.'

'Yes Gin-san. The gate to the spaceship is now opening, so we should go. Take care.' And the line was cut.

Gintoki rubbed his silver perms. Though he found their concern for him to be heart-warming, it is unusual for the two kids to be so overly concerned that they keep repeating the words "take care" to him for so many times.

He once again wondered if something bad is about to come his way soon. In truth, Gintoki does not even know the half of what will hit him.

* * *

'Beyond that doors, the Tendoshuu await. Please…' The leopard amanto motioned with a sweep of his paw towards the domineering tall gates.

The Commander of the Shinsengumi is trembling in nervous fear. This is the second time the gorilla-like-man has to come face-to-face with the authorities who are running the country in the shadow. On the first visit, he was too preoccupied in saving himself from the "freak accidents" that had hounded him on his journey to visit the Tendoshuu. Before, he did not notice the red and yellow glow of dimmed lights, the hooded figures covered in mysterious cloaks hidden in the shadows, the superior gaze of their glares, all of them focusing their attention on him… _no,_ on Tosshi?

'Welcome, Commander and Vice-Commander of Shinsengumi. We have heard of your recent endeavour, good work as always.' The hooded figure boomed atop the tall pillar in front of them.

'Ah…eh, th-thank you.' The gorilla shifted his weights.

'The capture of the Joui rebels, we take it that you have managed to take those involved in the Scarlet Match case into your custody?'

'Y-yes sir. All involved were either dead or captured,' the gorilla hesitated, '…save for Government Official Nezumi, sir…'

'Ah… Nezumi.' The cloaked figure paused, the silence created in the dim hall is eery for the hooded figures seems to be conferring with each other telepathically.

After the conclusion of the silent discussion, several cloaked figures nodded between them; another similarly dressed mysterious figure started to speak from his right side.

'Isao Kondo, trusted leader of the Shinsengumi faction, you did not forget what had happened with the Rengokukan, I believe?'

'Y-Yes. And for that I had apologized deeply.'

'Did you forget that there should be no second case like it following the downfall of the underground arena? Were you not aware that Nezumi had a… _special_ affiliation to us, the Tendoshuu?'

Kondo bit his lip. 'Y-yes, but Nezumi had sacrificed innocent liv-…'

'…-Kondo Isao, we give you our approval in bringing the criminals to justice, including Official Nezumi. But in compensation to the promise you had broken, we ask of you to undertake a secret mission for us.'

'A secret mission?' Kondo glanced at the corner of his eyes, quick enough to catch Hijikata's frown.

'Upon capturing the corrupt Official Nezumi, you shall find with him a blueprint on the _match of_ _vision_,or the _scarlet match_ as you would call it. Bring it back to us.'

'…And should we fail?' The Vice-Commander piped in for the first time, the attention of the hooded figure calmly switched to the raven-head.

'A promise is a man's life, is it not? I believe it is only right that in failing to meet the expectation of the second chance given, a life shall be taken as the compensation of the broken promise.'

'…so we're replaceable pawns…' Kondo heard Hijikata muttered to himself.

'If you understand what is required of you, you are dismissed.'

There was a sudden blackout as soon as the hooded figure said it and in another second, the lights flickered back to life but the mysterious cloaked figures have disappeared from the shadows, completely without a trace.

* * *

'Himura-san! Himura-san!' the pony-tailed boy called on the manor ground.

The girl peered from behind the backdoor, her kimono sleeves tied to her shoulder and her hands covered in soap. 'Yes, young master?'

The boy happily galloped over, tugging at her sleeve the moment he reached her.

'What is this "young master" title you're calling me with? Just call me Toushiro.' His eyebrows scrunched together. 'Look, look at this.'

Cradled in his hand was an injured young bird that has fallen from its' nest, the shaky up and down of its' chest shows that it is barely alive.

'Oh my…' she wiped her hands on the blue kimono without hesitation, the soap bubbles momentarily cling to the cloth before it soaks. Compared to the clothes that she had arrived in, the blue kimono Hijikata's sister-in-law had given her is of simple design, its' appearance is plain and worn but she did not complain of her humble appearance.

She is thankful to the family for putting up with her existence for over two months now, accepted as the Hijikata family's caretaker when she had not worked even a day in her life before. Other noble girls would be humiliated to be treated so and would cling to their title with much fervour but Himura Yuzuki can be said to be quiet a peculiar girl.

She has no attachment to expensive material possessions nor to her past high status and instead, she refused to answer any questions on her noble background when asked, opting to live with the family as a caretaker rather than revealing her home address.

It does not bother her to dress simply nor to be taught on how to wash rice, how to dust the ornaments and how to mend old kimonos. They live simply and economically despite the impression of wealth the main house has given to outside onlookers, their style of living betrayed the expectation placed upon those who carry the name Hijikata. The Hijikata family is quite wealthy and renowned but the older son and his wife, along with Hijikata Toushirou, are the only people who are living in the side house; never stepping into the cross-hold of the main house.

She does not ask the reason why.

'Take it to the table.' She ushered the boy into the traditional living room, he places the red-tailed bird on the low table carefully while she herself is searching for the box of first aid.

Carefully, she lifted the frail left wing, and noticing the sharp gash caused by a tree branch, she disinfected it and wrapped it in a bandage. The boy-Hijikata also left and returned soon after with warm water and seeds, as well as a box filled with scraps of dried leaves to put the weak baby nightingale in.

The two are consumed in their work, taking gentle care of the frail life with soft-touches of their fingertips, none of them dared to utter a word in the case that they would startle the little bird.

As the boy placed the nightingale into the box, the intensive care they had lavished on it subsided overtime, the two breathed out a sigh of relief when stronger depth of breathing returned to the small chest.

'That should do it,' she murmured softly. With another sigh she started to pack away the bandages and disinfectants away to where it was previously stored.

'You seems used to this, Himura-san.' The boy leaned on the table, scrutinizing the sleeping bird.

'Ah, no. My father was quite clumsy and usually I had to tend to his bandaging. I've never attended to a small nightingale before.' She warily smiled. Her shoulders stiffened with her every movement as the topic progresses.

'What is your father like, Himura-san?'

'Uh… he's a normal man. He worked as a specialist in lighters manufacturing. He was not an important man or anything to be especially discussed of. …What about your Father, young master?'

'Himura-san! What did I say about this "young master" business? It's Toushirou. Tou-shi-rou.'

'Ah, but you're-…'

The boy's glare cut her short.

'Tou…shirou…kun' she murmured sheepishly.

'Good.' The boy folded his arms, closed his eyes and nodded to himself; the gesture is clearly trying to imitate the little quirks of his older brother's.

'My Father was an accomplished farmer. His trading made our family successful and the Hijikata family became powerful in one generation. He was a great man, you could say.' The boy continued bitterly.

She looked at him knowingly, '…A great man but the worst Father, right?' the orange hues of her eyes twinkled in the filtrating sunlight.

He slowly nodded and the two chuckled softly in the cool summer breeze, the bond between them deepened with the melodious tinkle of the wind chime.

'Ne, Toushirou-kun, I heard it is your birthday soon? Would you be pleased to accept something from me?'

'Ho- How do you know, Himura-san? And of course. I would gladly accept anything that you would give me.'

'It's a secret how I know. But I'm glad that you would accept it…' she smiled, the infectious gesture also made the little boy innocently smile. '...Look forward to it.'

The two were interrupted from their immersed conversation by a noisy chirping from the box, a clear sign that the living thing inside it demanded to be fed its' dinner. The two chuckled upon the bird's quick recovery and rose from their positions, setting about to do their house duty.

* * *

The man clad in the gold-lined black uniform merged with the surrounding darkness and pursed his lips, looking at the field that used to belong to his family, scowling at the modern buildings built upon what used to be his family's land.

He took a cigarette from the package stored in his breast-pocket and after alighting it, he walked and walked and walked, moving further away from the inn where him and his Commander is supposed to be staying tonight. Instead, he was headed to the wide meadow of his childhood where cicadas sing and nightingales from the nearby forest provided the harmony to the duet.

What he could see was a construction site of a nameless factory, the tractors and the half-finished building are lifelessly draped in the blanket of the night.

He sits upon the steep hill, savouring the smoke, the chill, the quiet and though his movement had ceased, his thoughts have not.

Blurred images raced through his mind. Of flames, of countryside, of his brother, of Shinsengumi, of old photos, of silver perms, of cicadas, of Nezumi, of his life, of orange eyes, of nightingale, of presents, of moon, of dusk, of fire, of orange sunset, of sunset blazing, of burning red eyes, red eyes that are his, _of __him and of her_.

* * *

**A/N:** Whoo! Another long chapter ^^


	7. Chapter 7

**Warning: **My mood in creating a dramatic GinHiji situation has returned

**Disclaimer:** If only I could fly to Japan and stalk the Gorilla to churn out more chapters… *sigh*

* * *

**She Forgot To Give Back What Belonged To Me**

* * *

**Extract 7**

**There Are Things That Should Never Be Said Out Loud**

'…yeah…yeah…. Everyhing is fine. They still need us so we won't be disposed of anytime soon. Yeah,…No, put that on hold and put the investigation on the rat's location as your top priority. …Yes. I'll leave it to you.' He flipped his cell phone closed and slipped it into his breast pocket, taking out his cigarette supply while he was at it.

As he brought the cigarette to his lips, he was approached by the gorilla-looking Commander.

By the look of the damp towel rested around his neck, the Commander had shed the worry of the day away, completely refreshed from the hot spring.

'Hey, Toushi… Was that Yamazaki just now? Did you tell him about our meeting?'

'Yeah. I told him to mobilize the unit to investigate Nezumi's whereabouts. If the info is hard to come across, we can offer reward money, that should turn something up.'

'Ok, that's fine. ...Toushi, how about going in to the hot spring now? You look like you need it.'

Taking a long drag from his cigarette and exhaling the foggy smoke in the same breath, the Vice-Commander sighed. 'Kondo-san, we're not here to enjoy ourselves. It's not a holiday. I brought the paperwork with me so I'll be doing that in my room and I'll just take a shower later.'

'Toushi!' Kondo grabbed the shoulder of the turning figure, his left hand rests on Hijikata's forehead. 'I was right, you have a slight fever. Forget about the paperwork today and just rest. You don't have to push yourself so hard.'

'But Kondo-sa-…'

'No but's! It's an order.'

Hijikata reluctantly nods, knowing how persistent the Gorilla can be when it comes to the welfare of his friends; the troubling trait especially shows in his recent pursuit for a certain woman.

So Hijikata did not give his verbal promise of saying 'Yes', for he does not intend to waste precious time when a life is at stake. His fever is of little concern for he is trying to protect something dearer to him than his own health. No matter how much the guilt weighs upon his conscience for every lies that he tells, he will continue to say it,

to protect something dearer than his own conscience,

to protect something very very dear to him.

'Alright, I'll go back to my room to rest, Kondo-san. See you in the morning.'

* * *

'Happy Birthday Toushirou-kun!' Himura Yuzuki beamed with a cheerful face as bright as a thousand sun.

'Thank you Himura-san. There's no need for you to give me a present. You've made all of my favourite food after all.' The boy drools at the sight of the feast before him, the parcel given to him a moment before was held forgotten in his hands.

'Now, now, you can enjoy my cooking when everyone's here but for now, open it. I think you'll like it.' The girl nudged his arms, bringing his focus back to the brown-paper-covered parcel.

With utmost self-restraint, he obediently ripped open the parcel to discover a silver-rimmed cover of a book; the title _The Silver Soul Series_ by Nobunaga Sorachi glowed in silver streaks.

With uncontrollable excitement, the boy flicked through the colourful pages and run his fingers over the detailed illustration on the cover before he reminded himself to thank the girl before him. The both of them cannot contain their delight, hence the creepy irrepressible grin the both of them shows.

'How do you know that I'm following this series, Himura-san?'

'Ho ho. Do you think I won't notice that when you disappeared, Toushirou-kun is either playing in the forest or in his room, re-reading the 1st series to that book?' she smiled with a hint of mischief.

'Ehhhh? Did you peek into my room? That's a crime! But oh well, only for today, I shall forgive you for your previous offences.' Hijikata folded his arms and nodded to himself, his tone was serious until he at last cracked a smile and the both of them burst out laughing.

'We're back. Whoa, who made all this food? It looks delicious.' Tamegoro came in carrying two wooden swords over his shoulder. 'Happy Birthday Toushi! Here, give me your hands,' the boy complied with his arms straight and palms upward. Suddenly, a weighty sensation pushed him towards the ground; the wooden sword that Hijikata's brother had carried was heavier than it had looked and the load completely caught him by surprise.

'As you are getting taller, this wooden sword should suit you better than the one you were practicing with before.'

'Brother! Thank you!'

'Are you sure you won't go to the dojo across the hill? Even though it is slightly far, I can ask them to put you up with their other students to board. You've had an interest in swordmanship since you were young and it looks like you have the talent for it so it's a pity if you-…'

'-It's alright.' His expression changed. The fleeting sadness behind his smile, Yuzuki had seen it the first day she met him. 'It's alright, I like staying here with everyone.'

Tamegoro sighs and decided that he should not pursue the topic any further. As if in perfect cue, his wife came in holding a birthday cake.

A sponge cake covered in cream and strawberries, white chocolate and pine nuts, it was the first time the family have seen such mouth-watering dessert. They have decided to try something new this year and instead of the traditional Japanese cakes for his birthday, they have splurged on buying a Western cake from a recently opened small cake-shop over at the next town.

The four of them happily celebrate the joyous event.

Echoes of laughter and overlapping chatter of happiness resound loudly in the little house. Yet the Hijikata main house was strangely silent that day.

* * *

'Ehhh? What!? Bone? You want Sadaharu's bone?' drawled the silver-haired MADAO as he rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn; his right hand is holding the phone receiver to his ear sloppily.

Gintoki was rudely awakened by the loud ring of the Yorozuya's phone, the man is cursing the fact that he seems to be strangely popular amongst his friends yet not popular enough to receive calls from potential clients.

'That's not what I'm saying Danna, I said "Gone"! Like "Missing", you know, "Missing"! "Gone"! And anyway, "Bone" doesn't even rhyme with "Gone"!'

'Ah, right. So Sadaharu's bone is gone? The bone is missing?'

'Danna, as I was saying, it's Hijikata-san! Were you listening!?' Yamazaki frustratingly yelled into the speaker.

'Ah… I see.'

'Kondo-san called me this morning, asking if Vice-Commander went back to the Shinsengumi barrack first without telling him but that is strange. He's obviously not here and Vice-Commander is not the type of person who would do that. His phone is disconnected too so as a last reserve we were wondering if he maybe stopped at the Yorozuya's…'

'No, I don't think so.' Gintoki cleaned his left ear with his other hand. 'Hijikata's bone is not here.'

'OIIIIII! I think you just said something ominous just then! Don't say something that will jinx the Vice-Commander, Danna! He might even be in danger right now!'

'Yeah, yeah. Is there anything else, Jimmy-kun?'

'As I was saying, Hijikata-san is missing so if you could help-…'

'…right, so there isn't anything else? Ketsuno Ana is calling me so see you later Jimmy-kun, bye…'

'Ah, wai-…'

Click. And the line went dead.

* * *

_WHY!? The girl screamed as she sobbed her little heart out. The tears and blood running down her pretty face was frequently wiped by the blue sleeves of her crane-patterned kimono, smearing the silky material with a taste of death._

_WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? She shouted, her voice hoarse from the constant screaming but she received no answer, no re-assurance, no justification for the lifeless body that is turning cold in her own pale fingers._

_He did not turn back, and with the followers he had gathered, he left them in that lonely house. _

_A mother and a daughter._

_A girl and a corpse._

* * *

There are things that only he could do and there are things that he alone had notice.

For example, the fact that the ghostly memory of a girl from his past has re-appeared into his life bringing an arson case with her, he has noticed. This case that is strongly connected to fire and greed, is familiar to him; reminding him of the old days that his brother was still alive and of a birthday celebrated by a family of four and not one.

It was the happy days.

Until it all burned to the ground.

Another thing he has noticed, was the empty pages to the ending of _The Silver Soul Series _book. He was content as a child to immerse himself into the story and upon finishing the journey, stored away the book in a hidden place to be forgotten. Thanks to the silver-perm, he re-discovered it, the several empty pages to the book's ending was such a curious thing that he started to investigate it in his spare time.

It was not until the heat from his accidentally fallen cigarette ash gave clue to the secret writing on the empty pages.

It was a map.

He has no choice but to follow where the map leads him; her legacy, he will fulfil at the cost of his life.

There are things that only he alone can do and this is it.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, it's been a long time hey. Exam is getting close (too close for comfort!) so I'm sorry for lack of update but I've got the storyboard all done, don't worry. After I finish exams, I'll be churning pages out like a machine so wait til then. Wish me luck with everything ^^


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